Gobble, Gobble! Dine-In, Dine-Out . . . You Pick!

Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends and feasting—not freaking out about meal planning or burnt birds. Skip the hassle of time-consuming food prep by treating yourself and your loved ones to a Thanksgiving dinner to-go or do one better, and dine out. From smoked turkeys to pumpkin pies to all the traditional fixins’, Chicago’s best chefs have you covered. You only need to decide, dine at your place or theirs?

River Roast
What could be better than feasting riverside for Thanksgiving? River Roast will be serving up a spectacular Thanksgiving Chef’s Table featuring four different hand-carved roasts, greens, sweets, and more. For $60/person, guests can choose between four different roasts—prime rib, roasted turkey, whole salmon and stuffed pork loin—paired with a variety of sides. Finish it off with pumpkin pie, apple cranberry tart or pecan pie. Dinner is served noon-7 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.

Fairmont Chicago
Enjoy a world-class Thanksgiving dinner at home with a little help from Fairmont Chicago’s Executive Chef. The menu includes all your Turkey Day faves, starting with the roasted turkey and sausage and apricot stuffing. Sides include mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, green beans and charred mushrooms, pie and more. Orders can be placed online and pick-up is Thanksgiving Day, between 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Dinner for 8 including all the accompaniments is $275.

Frontier
Frontier, a hot Wicker Park restaurant specializing in game, oysters and tap brews brings the bounty to your home this holiday with their Thanksgiving-to-go package. Frontier is closed on Thanksgiving Day but Executive Chef Brian Jupiter will offer guests the option of ordering a whole smoked Amish turkey to-go. The turkeys are antibiotic and hormone free. Available sides include five-cheese mac & cheese, traditional mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing and string beans. Orders must be placed by November 16, with pick up on Thanksgiving from 9 a.m.-noon.

Prairie Grass Cafe
Northbrook fave Prairie Grass Cafe is offering all the Americana classics to deliver one of the best Thanksgivings you’ll ever have — minus the kitchen mess. They’re taking reservations for Thanksgiving Day from 2:30 p.m.-7 p.m. for $59/person.

The Smoke Daddy
Whole turkeys at this Wicker Park BBQ bastion are slow-smoked until heady and crisp; opt for Southern-style pulled turkey if you prefer your birds on the fork-tender side. And since families can’t subsist on smoked turkeys alone, the restaurant has housemade cornbread stuffing, greenbean casserole, mac & cheese, mashed potatoes and turkey gravy at the ready, available by the quart. Orders are being taken through November 17 and will be available for pick up on November 20 or 21.

Weber Grill
Thanksgiving is finger-licking good when you’re greeted with a fire-grilled turkey feast, and Weber Grill has flavor-filled party platters featuring all your fave fixins. We’re talking about grill-roasted smoked turkey, cornbread with maple-bourbon butter, shrimp cocktail, sausage stuffing and classic pumpkin pie. Orders must be placed by Nov. 16 before 5 p.m. Items can be ordered a la carte, so stock up as much or as little as you want, depending on how hungry your family is this year. And if you want Weber Grill to do all the heavy lifting, you can dine-in at all three of their Chicagoland locations.

Wildfire
Wildfire is offering two ways to dine -— in or out. If you want to want to gather the family around a table that isn’t yours, they’ll be serving a family-style dinner Thanksgiving Day 11 a.m.-8 p.m. featuring oven roasted turkey and all the traditional dishes to accompany for $49.95/adults and $21.95/ages 12 & under. They even have gluten-free options. If you prefer to stay home with stretchy pants within reach, they have a Thanksgiving platter menu for carryout including spit-roasted turkey, cranberry relish, mushroom gravy and butterscotch-pecan pie. Pick-up is Thanksgiving Day from 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

Real Kitchen
It doesn’t get any realer on Thanksgiving than insatiable cravings for roasted turkey, sage-scented bread stuffing, cranberry sauce, turkey gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole and green bean casserole. There are also less commonplace items like New Orleans-style andouille-studded stuffing, cranberry-pear-orange relish and wild mushroom pot pie. All these and more are on deck for Thanksgiving carryout orders this year at Real Kitchen, available a la carte on their website. Orders will be available for pickup or delivery from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. on November 21 and from 9 a.m.-11 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

Rack House Kitchen & Tavern
Chef Bryant Anderson has all of your Thanksgiving favorites cooked with love and ready for pickup. The Thanksgiving Menu includes everything from oak-smoked turkey to stuffing with sage and caramelized onions perfectly packed and served cold with easy reheating instructions. The Thanksgiving menu and full catering menu will be available for pickup on November 21 from noon to 9 p.m. and on Thanksgiving Day from 9 a.m. to noon.

Forum 55
Denise from Cozy Cottage Cuisine, an Apron Exchange vendor at Forum 55, will be taking orders Wednesday, November 14-Friday, November 16. Forum 55 is a Loop food hall and Apron Exchange is an incubator platform that supports women and minority owned food start-ups as they launch and grow their business. While there, drop off your donations to Toys for Tots for the holiday toy drive.

Fresh Picks Farmer Alliance
In spirit of their mission to make fresh, organic food readily available to everyone while supporting local farms, Fresh Picks Farmer Alliance is offering a Thanksgiving option this year. For those who would like to serve a locally grown feast, FPFA will be offering a special “Fixin’s Box” featuring locally grown produce commonly found in holiday recipes. It’s a great way to support local businesses, with the added benefit of skipping the grocery store lines. Plus, turkeys will additionally be available to order through two different Fresh Picks farms: Sullivan Turkey Farm in Greenview and All Grass Farms in Dundee Township. Orders for the Fixin’s Box and the turkeys can be placed now for pick up between November 17 and November 21. Delivery and pick-up options are available on their website.